“Judging criteria for the 4WDer’s Ute of the Year was simple – we wanted to test the vehicles in a way that mimics how they’d be used in real life,” said Australian 4WD Action’s editor, Brendan Seymour.

“This meant loading them almost to their GVM (Gross Vehicle Mass), and then putting them through their paces in every off- road terrain imaginable, from mud, to steep hills, sand and long stretches at higher speeds … finally, we enlisted the help of seven real 4WDers to test the vehicles like only a true 4WDer can – and the D-MAX came out on top,” he added.

Not only did the Isuzu D-MAX pick up the overall award, but it also proved the most fuel efficient of the seven utes tested.

Giving further insight to the comprehensive assessment regime, tester Steven Collins explained; “We broke the off- road performance portion of the judging down into five categories and scored each ute based on how they performed off-road. We then compared and scored fuel economy (as tested), purchase price, running costs per year (comprehensive insurance and servicing) and payload to determine the final outcome.”

Today’s accolade comes hot on the heels of two recent international gongs for the Euro-spec Isuzu D-MAX – the prestigious “4×4 Vehicle of the Year” by readers of the influential Auto Bild Magazine in Germany and the “2013 Vans A2Z Pick-Up of the Year Award” in the UK.

The Auto Bild Allrad, is Europe’s version of our “Car of the Year” awards and is organized by the continent’s most widely read magazine – Auto Bild. Based on a poll from over 100,000 readers, the new Isuzu D-MAX took the honours in the imported pick-up category.

Across the Channel, the Isuzu D-Max again proceed it can take on the best and win – scoring the 2013 Vans A2Z “Pick Up Of The Year” award in London. The Vans A2Z team noted, “Unlike the latest generation pick-ups from Ford and Volkswagen it retains the external dimensions of the traditional one-tonne truck and is all the better for it….. it feels more nibble and less bulky to drive, while retaining an impressive work ethic.”

These recent awards again demonstrate that the Isuzu D-Max is universally revered as one of the world’s best utes and further enhances the D-Max’s solid reputation for reliability, economy and durability.

See the quality for yourself, test drive an Isuzu D-Max at South West Isuzu today!